The first stop our tri-city road trip was Door County. A place I’ve heard a lot about and never given much thought. In my mind, it’s a senior citizen destination. In fact, when I told people Door County was our first destination, people seemed confused. Are you into antiquing?

Jamey traveled to Door County with his family when he was a kid, so he had some idea of what the area was like. As usually happens with kids, his memories are less about how beautiful the area was and more about how annoying his family was – but he did have a list of things we had to recreate from his first visit (let’s be honest, if you know Jamey his list was all food we had to eat). Door County is gorgeous! If you’re like me, ditch the prejudices, and get out there.

Fish Creek Campground

We arrived Friday evening at Fish Creek Campground in time to get set up, eat dinner and fall asleep. After a long drive, we were all worn out. Our vacation began one week earlier than the regular season, so the campground was pretty sparse, which was fine with us. The site had a W/E (none of the sites were FHU) and it was spacious and quiet. We made lots and lots of loops around the campground with the dogs, practicing the “place” command and sniffing where every dog has previously peed.

Peninsula State Park

Saturday we hit the Door County tourism ground running. After a long car ride and only short walks, the dogs were restless and missing their all-day playtime in our fenced in yard at home.

The day started with a long hike with the dogs in Peninsula State Park, the most popular park in Door County. It rained a lot overnight, so the trails were wet and muddy, just the way the dogs like it! Thankfully we were there early enough in the day to avoid a lot of other people (and especially other dogs). After a couple miles hiking in wet socks, we went back to the camper and switched to better shoes. This park was great and I wish we had more time, and a less reactive dog along, to explore! Barley is making big strides, but she still can’t handle face-to-face on-leash passing other dogs. It’s hard to have a reactive dog, but she’s worth the work. So we didn’t get to visit the lighthouse, the sandy beach, or see much shoreline. I guess we’ll have to come back someday. And while it was mid-May, it was still cool – too cold to kayak.

Boat Tour

We boarded the boat and took two seats in the back. It was cold and kind of windy, but we wanted the best views, so we stayed outside while everyone took seats in the covered area of the boat. Our tour guide grew up on one of the many islands, her parents were volunteer lighthouse keepers each summer. Her personal history and area history were the most interesting part of the tour. I never would have imagined how much work went into just getting to and from those islands, let alone all the maintenance.

Once the tour started, everyone poured into the back of the boat where we were sitting to get the best views. I mean, I get it, but also PERSONAL SPACE people!! Some people had no problems just crowding right over me, squeezing between us to get the view over the boat, to get the just right photo. We made the best of it, played human dodge-ball and enjoyed the views and history. Lighthouse keepers are some of the toughest people in humanity.

Egg Harbor

After the boat ride, we swung back to the camper, picked up the kids and headed out to explore Egg Harbor. We took a lovely walk through Harbor View Park and the Harbor View Marina, shared some cheese curds (when in Rome!) and a beer at Shipwrecked Brew Pub before heading back toward home. When we were nearly there, Jamey spotted a sign for a brewery, so we made a quick U-turn and visited Bridge Up Brewing.

Bridge Up Brewery

We really enjoyed this brewery. It is their second location, the first in Sturgeon Bay, and shares spaces with The Cherry Hut. Their patio is amazing with plenty of space and several fire tables to gather around. We intended to make this a quick stop, but instead spent a couple of hours there enjoying the space, the beers and the company. Jamey is great at talking to strangers and I do a good job of nodding along. The dogs did a fairly good job too, thanks to being so tired.

Barley enjoyed being the center of attention and Hazy liked the room for an impromptu sniffari. We returned next day as well, we liked it there so much! The Cherry Hut also has a wine window, so I was able to enjoy my other favorite beverage. I can’t say enough good things about this space, and my only regret is we didn’t have enough time to make it to their primary location in Sturgeon Bay.

The Restaurant with the Goats on the Roof

“Did you go to the restaurant with the goats on the roof?” The first question everyone will ask when you return from Door County. Yes, we went. No, there were no goats when we were there. It’s a total tourist play and I was playing tourist – I feel so robbed. One week before Memorial Weekend and we missed all the excitement.

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Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant is famous for goats on the roof, Swedish pancakes, lingonberries and general Lutheran chachkies. My friend swears the Swedish pancakes are delicious and the lingonberries are to die for! EVERYONE will tell you it’s a must visit destination in Door County.

Forgive my blasphemy, it was all just fine. Our tastes are shaped in childhood and I didn’t eat these types of Scandinavian foods. The first time I had lefse I was in my 20’s and I didn’t like it very much. Jamey really enjoyed the Swedish Pancake Special. Loved it, in fact. The pancakes were decidedly unfluffy, which I guess is how the Swedes like their food: flat and bland. Don’t listen to me, my idea of fine dining is tacos and margaritas.

Cana Island Lighthouse

Door County has lots of lighthouses. Cana Island Lighthouse is one of the most famous, iconic lighthouses in Door County, on the Lake Michigan side. It’s accessible through a narrow land bridge that is mostly underwater now. Only about an inch of water covers the land bridge, so it’s very walkable, but if you’re hesitant to get your feet wet, you can get there and back via a free hay-wagon ride. At times when the lake is higher, the water can rush over the land bridge, making the trek a little more treacherous.

The lighthouse was under renovation so we didn’t get to explore that part itself, but we watched an interesting video about the history at the visitor center before we toured the island. The best part was the two-seater outhouse. The family that shits together, stays together. Or something like that!

I imagine living here to be serene and idyllic. In the summer, when the weather is perfect. When we were there, it was stunning! But I learned the lighthouse keepers and family lived there almost year round. The storms would continually damage the property, the walkways, even the residence. It sounds harrowing and is yet another reminder the lighthouse keepers of yore were tough AF. The water was crystal clear and rocky. It’s easy to see how a boat could easily crash on these rocks. A little further inland was a lovely walking trail that went around the island.

Door County Brewing Co

You didn’t think we’d visit Door County and not visit Door County Brewing Co did you? Of course we did! They had a beautiful beer garden, so we were able to hangout there with the dogs. It was another cold and windy day, so we had the place to ourselves. Jamey and Barley had some quality dance time. I forget what we drank here, it was cold so we just had one and left. I’d love to revisit when it’s warmer or we can be inside without the dogs.

Fish Boil

The other thing you must do when visiting Door County is a fish boil. Historically, a fish boil was how loggers would feed a group at camp during the winter. They’d catch the white fish and throw them in a kettle over a big fire with some vegetables like onions and potatoes. There’s a big, dramatic boil over that makes a big flame, and then, viola! Dinner is served.

There are lots of choices for a fish boil in Door County, so make sure you find one while you’re there! Our boil master was a former commercial fisherman who entertained us with stories of his time as a fisherman and the history of the area, logging, and Door County before the grand finale. Then we went inside to eat our freshly cooked meal. And of course, a slice of Door County cherry pie was dessert.

Jamey really loved this meal, I thought it was fine. Would I seek it out if it wasn’t a must-do? No. But it was fine. Again, don’t mind me, my idea of gourmet food is pizza and tacos.

Washington Island

The final must-do Door County thing was take the ferry over to Washington Island. We loaded the family up in the truck, paid a small fortune (ok, $58 but that’s a lot!) to sit in the truck on a ferry to get to the island. They really packed the vehicles in, so we were both kind of trapped in the truck on the ferry. But the view was cool.

The island needs better wayfinding signage. Maybe if we had been there in the Door County tourist season, it would have been easier to follow the leader. We got the map and still got turned around a few times. Still we managed to drive the island, visit the beaches, see the lavender farm and Stavkirke church. Schoolhouse Beach Park was AMAZING. The water was so blue, it was like being in the Caribbean. Unfortunately it was one of the beaches where dogs aren’t allowed, so we couldn’t linger too long there with the dogs waiting in the truck.

We visited another dog-friendly beach and let the dogs play in the water. Hazy was in pure heaven. He barked at the waves and tried to catch them with his mouth. Just a hap, hap, happy dog!

Overall we had a great time in Door County. I thought we were being smart by avoiding peak tourist season and dodging the crowds, but we missed out on some opportunities. We’ll be back some day.

Next stop: Bayfield and the Apostle Islands.